UPDATE - 2 persons confirmed dead in aircraft crash in Malawi

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Jamal Jamal

LILONGWE, Malawi (AA) - Two persons who were aboard a Zimbabwean privately owned aircraft that crashed into the waters of Lake Malawi in the southern African nation on Tuesday have been found dead, a local government official said.

The two include a Zimbabwean pilot and a Dutch national, Ben Matengeni Tonho, district commissioner for Malawi's Nkhotakota where the plane crashed, told Anadolu.

The aircraft belonging to a Zimbabwean company, Nyasa Express, also had a Dutch female passenger who was rescued by a group of fishermen and is currently in hospital being treated for minor injuries.

Matengeni said the dead bodies were discovered this morning after rescue efforts intensified.

“We mobilized the support of locals and fishermen. And it’s through their efforts that we managed to get hold of the bodies and the wreckage. The bodies have since been taken to a district hospital,” Matengeni said.

The C2110 aircraft had taken off from the lakeshore district of Nkhotakota en route to eastern Malawi and crashed 45 minutes before landing.

On June 10, an aircraft crash killed Saulosi Klaus Chilima, Malawi’s vice president, and eight others. Investigations are underway to establish the cause of the crash.